This guide adapts rules and examples from Microsoft’s Translation Top Tips for Bodo (Devanagari script, originally written for software/UI localization). The underlying linguistic rules apply universally — to legal contracts, medical documents, marketing copy, and any Bodo translation work. Restructured and reformatted as a general Bodo translator reference by ChatsControl.
Bodo Translation Style Guide — Voice, Word Choice & Common Pitfalls (Legal, Medical, Marketing, IT)¶
TL;DR¶
- Address users with honorific second-person नोंथाां (singular) or नोंथाांमोन (plural) — formal, standard, friendly tone across software, marketing, medical, legal contexts.
- Capitalization does not apply to Bodo (Devanagari) — single form per letter; no caps distinction at orthographic level.
- Use Devanagari danda ।/৷ at sentence end, not Latin period; use “&” as आरो in running text; preserve & only in tags/placeholders/shortcuts.
- Gender-neutral: most professional titles (दाक्ट’र, उकिल, फोरोंथगरर) are gender-neutral and don’t need male/female forms; avoid feminine suffix दहथजाव in generic references.
- Nuqta diacritic (्) marks borrowed sounds (Urdu, Arabic, English) — preserve ि., अ. etc. when transliterating loan words.
Microsoft voice for Bodo¶
Three principles: warm and relaxed; crisp and clear; ready to lend a hand. Write short, easy-to-read sentences. Don’t translate literally. Be pleasant. Avoid slang.
Literal translations often fail to get the intended meaning across and sound unnatural. Split or merge sentences if necessary.
| Source | Use this (Bodo) | Not this (Bodo) |
|---|---|---|
| You may notice a new look. In August 2024, we updated our Privacy at Microsoft websites with a modern design built on a more secure platform. | नोंथाङा मोनसे गोदान महर नुनो मोनगोन। आगस्त 2024 मायथाइयाव, जों Microsoft वेबसाइट जोंनन प्रायभेसस खालामदोंमोन प्लेटफमआम व बानायनाय गोदान डिजाइनजों आपदेट खालामदोंमोन। | मोनसे गोदान नुथाइ नुदों जानो हागौनों। आगस्ट 2024 आव, जों साबससन माइक्र’सफ्ट वेबसाइटफोराव जोंनन रैखाथथ गोनाां लाखोमाथथखौ मोनसे बाांससन रैखाथथ बबथायाव मोनसे गोदान- मुगानन महर होनानै। |
| We hope this page will help you, as a young person, learn about and understand Microsoft’s privacy practices and how to use our products in a way that protects your privacy. | जों समजजांथथयो दद बे पेजआ सासे लायमोन सुबुां महरै नोंथाांनो Microsoft’s प्रायभेसस आसार-खाजथथफोर आरो जोंनन ददहुनथायफोरखौ माबोरै बे रोखोमै बाहायनो हायो जाय नोंथाांनन प्रायभेसस रैखा खालामो बेनन सोमोथदै समथथनो आरो बुजजनो नोंखौ मदद खालामगोन। | जों आसा खालामो बे बबलाइया खालामो सासे जौमोन सुब ुां महरै नोंथाांनो सोलोंनो आरो बुजजनो माइक्र’सफ्टनन लाखोमाथथनन सोमोथदै, बेनन सरसाफोर आरो नोंथाांनन लाखोमाथथखौ रैखाथथ लाखखनाय राहायाव जोंनन मुवाफोरखौ माब्रै बाहायनो। |
Tone of voice and form of address¶
Each language has different formality levels. Tone may vary widely — colloquial for marketing, serious for legal Terms of Services. Tone and form of address should generally be formal, standard, appropriate, friendly. Avoid harsh, dialectal, unprofessional language.
Always use honorific pronouns: नोंथाां (singular) and नोंथाांमोन (plural).
| Product | Tone | Pronoun “you” |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft privacy content | Formal, standard, appropriate but friendly | नोंथाां |
| Apps | Formal, standard, appropriate but friendly | नोंथाां |
| Software | Formal, standard, appropriate but friendly | नोंथाां |
Why this matters: Marketing copy to consumers benefits from honorific but warm tone. Medical patient material requires the same — formal yet friendly improves trust. Legal documents stay formal across all uses. Software UI uses formal-friendly across all interactions.
Abbreviations¶
Generally follow source language’s abbreviations. To save space, you may abbreviate words. Use the shortest possible version while ensuring clarity.
| Source term | Target (full) | Target abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| kilometer | किल’समटार | कि.कि. |
| meter | समटार | कि. |
| millimeter | समसलसमटार | कि.कि. |
| Television | दटसभ | किकि. |
For “television”, use a dot after the abbreviated term to indicate shortening. If the source uses “TV”, the transliteration “दटसभ” can be used without a dot. Abbreviations are not used in plural form.
Acronyms¶
Acronyms are words made up of initial letters of compound term parts (DNS, HTML).
- When the source includes both an acronym alone (IP) and an acronym with full form (DNS (Domain Name Server)), use the same structure in target.
- If an acronym (HTML) and an acronym with full form (IP (Internet Protocol)) are used throughout, maintain the same structure and spellings.
| Source term | Target term |
|---|---|
| HTML | एइसदटएमएल |
| IP (Internet Protocol) | आइकफ (इथटारनेटफ्रट’िल) |
Some English acronyms remain in English due to wide acceptance: WWW, PNG.
Capitalization¶
Capitalization does not apply to Bodo (Devanagari). A single form is used for each letter.
Punctuation¶
Bulleted lists¶
Use period (৷) at the end of a complete sentence.
| Source | Target |
|---|---|
| Improve and develop our products. Personalize our products and make recommendations. | जोंनन मुवाफोरखौ साबससन खालाम आरो जौगाहो। जोंनन मुवाफोरखौ गावनन खालाम आरो बबथोनफोर/बुांथथनाहो। |
Hyphen¶
The hyphen (-) is the shortest of three dash characters. Use hyphen for:
- Connect/join words: हाथजा’-हाथजा’, बबफाां-लाइफाां, कफसा-कफला
- Breaking words at the end of a line
- Page numbers, dates, number intervals
- Establishing relationships between two concepts
| Source | Target |
|---|---|
| third-party account | थामथथ-हाथजा एिाउथट |
| Pages 30-52 | बबलाइ 30-52 |
En dash¶
The en dash (–) is obtained by Alt+0150 or Ctrl+- (num) in Windows. Used in arithmetic operations and negative numbers.
| Source | Target |
|---|---|
| Temperature is -10°C. | बबदांआु -10°से. |
Em dash¶
The em dash (—) is obtained by Alt+0151 or Ctrl+Alt+- (num) in Windows. Avoid extensive use — replace with commas or parentheses, or start new sentence.
| Source | Target |
|---|---|
| Search and browse products connect you with information and intelligently sense, process, and act on information—learning and adapting over time. | मुवाफोरखौ नाथगरनाय आरो ब्राउज खालामनाया फोरमायथथनायजों नोंखौ सोमोथदो लाखखयो आरो फोरमायथथनायाव सोलोगोनाङै मोथदाांथथनो, फाररखाजथथ खालामनो आरो खामानन मावनो होयो—समाव सोलोंना/समथथनालानानै। |
Quotation marks¶
Used for emphasis. Follow source quotation mark type.
| Source | Target |
|---|---|
| On the website and in the app, users enter “prompts” that provide instructions to Copilot (e.g., “Give me recommendations for a restaurant that accommodates parties of 10 near me”). | वेबसाइटनन सायाव आरो एफआव बाहायग्राफोरा “फ्रमप्स”खौ थुयोब्ला िपपल’टनन बोसोनखाजथथफोर होयो (बबददजथथ- “आांनन खाथथनन 10 हाथजा/सुबुांफोरनो जायगा होग्रा गांसे रेस्थुरेथटनन थाखाय बबथोनफोर/बुांथथना हो”)। |
Usage of Nuqta¶
Nuqta is a diacritic used in Devanagari to describe modern sounds borrowed from non-native languages — mainly Urdu (Arabic, Farsi) and English. It is basically a dot, used in some letters in Bodo: ि. and अ.ँ
Numbers, symbols, and non-breaking spaces¶
Symbols¶
- Temperature: use symbol ° instead of translation or transliteration.
- Currencies: use symbols (फाउन्द, रुबल, युआन, येन) instead of translation if symbol available on keyboard.
Non-breaking space¶
Use non-breaking space between numeral and the symbol/unit of measure.
Examples: 30 से.सम., 1 घथटा, 75 %, 20°से.
Ampersand¶
Always translate “&” as “आरो” when it refers to running text. Don’t keep “&” in Bodo unless part of a tag, placeholder, shortcut, or other code.
| Source | Target |
|---|---|
| Cookies & Similar Technologies | िुकि आरो बेरोखोमनन बबरोंदासमनफोर |
Date and time formats¶
- Date format: DD/MM/YYYY
- For month-and-year only (“March 2025”), use Month YYYY format.
| Source | Target |
|---|---|
| Last updated March 2024 | थाांनाय फोसाबजानाय मार्म 2024 |
- Time format: Commonly 12-hour in India. Some government departments (Railways, Army, Airlines) use 24-hour.
- General time format: HH:mm:ss
Inclusive language¶
General guidelines¶
- Comply with local language laws.
- Use plain language.
- Be mindful of politically disputed cities/countries.
- Represent diverse perspectives in text and images.
- Don’t generalize or stereotype.
- Don’t use profane or derogatory terms.
- Don’t use slang that’s cultural appropriation.
- Don’t use terms with unconscious racial bias.
| English | Not this | Bodo | Not this (Bodo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| expert | Guru | रोंगौसा | गुरु |
| colleagues; everyone; all | guys; ladies and gentlemen | मावफाग्रा-लोगोफोर; लोगोफोर; साफ्रोमबो; गासैबो | जोहोलाव-जोहोलावजोफोर/रायजोराजाफोर |
Avoid gender bias¶
Avoid gender-specific compounds (हौवा, दहथजाव).
| Use this | Not this | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| दाक्ट’र | दाक्ट’र बबथाां (m) / दाक्ट’र बबथाांजो (f) | दाक्ट’र is the same word for both genders. |
| उकिल | उकिल बबथाां (m) / उकिल बबथाांजो (f) | उकिल is the same word for both genders. |
| फोरोंथगरर | फोरोंग्रा (m) / फोरोंथगरर (f) / फोरोंथगरर बबथाां (m) / फोरोंथगरर बबथाांजो (f) | फोरोंथगरर or फोरोंग्रा is the same word for both genders. |
Accessibility¶
Focus on people, not disabilities. Don’t use pity words (नाख्रेबजानायजों, दख ुुमोननाांनायननफ्राय).
| English | Not this | Bodo | Not this (Bodo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| person with a disability | Handicapped | सासे बेंगुरा/बेंगुरर जानाय सुबुां | बेंगुरा/बेंगुरर जानाय |
| person without a disability | normal person; healthy person | सासे बेंगुरा/बेंगुरर नङै सुब ुां | सरासनस्रा/मोजाां सुबुां; गुफुां सुबुां |
| Select | Click | सायख’ | जक्लि खालाम |
Keep paragraphs short. Spell out आरो, दाजाब, सोमोथदै. Screen readers misread &, +, ~.
Applications, products, and features¶
Application/product names trademarked, not translatable.
Version numbers¶
| Source | Target |
|---|---|
| Version 4.2 | रोखोम 4.2 |
Trademarks¶
Trademarked names and Microsoft Corporation shouldn’t be localized unless local laws require translation.
Reference information¶
Normative references¶
- Bodo Dictionary & Translation and Bodo English Grammar
- English Boro Bodo Dictionary and A Bodo Grammar
- Bodo Translator
If more than one spelling is acceptable, opt for the spelling adopted in Microsoft approved terminology and the normative dictionaries.
Informative references¶
- Glossary of Administrative Terms by Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology
- Glossary of Geography by Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology
FAQ¶
How should I address users in Bodo?¶
Always use honorific second-person नोंथाां (singular) or नोंथाांमोन (plural). The tone should be formal, standard, appropriate but friendly across all product types — Microsoft privacy content, apps, software. Avoid harsh, dialectal, or unprofessional language.
How does capitalization work in Bodo?¶
Capitalization does not apply to Bodo (Devanagari). Devanagari has a single form for each letter — no uppercase/lowercase distinction. Capitalization concepts from English don’t transfer.
What punctuation should I use in Bodo?¶
Use Devanagari danda ।/৷ at sentence end (not Latin period). Hyphen (-) for joining words, page numbers, intervals. En dash (–) for arithmetic and negative numbers. Em dash (—) avoided — use commas, parentheses, or start a new sentence instead. Quotation marks per source — ” ” for emphasis.
How is gender handled in Bodo translation?¶
Many professional titles in Bodo are gender-neutral (दाक्ट’र, उकिल, फोरोंथगरर) — don’t add separate masculine/feminine forms (don’t use दाक्ट’र बबथाां/दाक्ट’र बबथाांजो). For generic ‘person with a disability’, use बेंगुरा/बेंगुरर जानाय सुबुां. Avoid pitying language (नाख्रेबजानायजों, दख ुुमोननाांनायननफ्राय).
How are acronyms handled?¶
When the source uses both an acronym alone (IP) and an acronym with full form (DNS (Domain Name Server)), match the structure in the target. Common acronyms widely accepted in Bodo (WWW, PNG) remain in English. Others may be transliterated: HTML → एइसदटएमएल; IP (Internet Protocol) → आइकफ (इथटारनेटफ्रट’िल).
What’s the date format for Bodo?¶
DD/MM/YYYY. When only month and year are needed (March 2025), use “मार्म 2025” format (Month YYYY). Time format is generally 12-hour in India; some government departments (Railways, Army, Airlines) use 24-hour.
What is Nuqta and when is it used?¶
Nuqta is a diacritic (्) used in Devanagari to describe modern sounds borrowed from non-native languages, mainly Urdu (Arabic, Farsi) and English. Used in some letters in Bodo, such as ि. and अ.ँ. Preserve nuqta when transliterating loan words.